Floating suction for liquids



s K 0 O R B H T" FLOATING SUCTION FOR LIQUIDS Filed Jan. 19. 1956 INVENTO'R. 7km M Elmo/(s.

4 7TORNE7 FLOATING SUCTION FOR LIQUIDS Troy H. Brooks, El Monte, Calif. Application January 19, 1956, Serial No. 560,196

3 Claims. (fll. 222-376) This invention relates to improvements in floating suction for liquids and has for one of its principal objects the provision of means whereby liquids of various types can be withdrawn from tanks or other containers in such a manner that no contamination of the liquid will ever result due to the entry into the suction pipe of dregs or other precipitates.

One of the important objects of this invention is to provide, in a device of the class described, means for efi'iciently withdrawing liquids and particularly hydrocarbons, such as petroleum products, from containers and more especially, under-ground tanks in such a manner that substantially pure liquid, free from dirt and other foreign matter, will always be delivered by the pump regardless of the level of liquid in the tank.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide a floating suction which can be used in conjunction with deepwell turbine pumps, whereby various liquids and especially aviation fuel, can be delivered to planes or other receptacles in a minimum of time and with practically no danger of any water, dirt or other impurities entering the fuel tanks of the planes or other devices, which might cause engineering failure and subsequent damage and possible loss of life.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a combination pumping and suction element for handling petroleum and other products, which can easily be incorporated into newly installed tanks or containers and which likewise can readily be used to replace old and unsatisfactory equipment with little or no change in the tanks themselves.

Other and further important objects of the invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the accompanying drawings and following specification.

The invention, in a preferred form, is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section and parts being broken away, illustrating the floating suction for liquids contemplated by this invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view taken on the section line 22 of Figure 1 and showing the parts as illustrated in the dotted lines of said figure.

Figure 3 is a vertical section, also enlarged, illustrating more details of the invention, and this section is taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 4- is also a slightly enlarged sectional view and is taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated.

As shown in the drawings:

The reference numeral indicates generally a tank or container for liquids, and in this particular embodiment of the invention, the tank 10 is indicated as below the ground level, as shown at 12 and adapted to contain a petroleum product such as gasoline or similar material. Obviously the tank need not :be under ground and also, as obviously, other liquids maybe contained therein and disnited States Patent Z,832,5 l2 Patented Apr. 29, 1 958 pensed therefrom with equal facility by the improved apparatus of this invention.

As best shown at M in Figures 1 and 3, some means for drawing the liquid 16 from the tank 10 is provided. in this instance the same is shown as a turbine pump. These pumps are normally equipped with a depending shaft it? with an impeller blade 26* at the lower end of the shaft; and the shaft and impeller blade are ordinarily contained in a suction tube 22, which extends downwardly through the tank and terminates adjacent the bottom thereof. The shaft 13, impeller 29 and tube 22 are ordinarily placed in an outer tube or pipe 24, which is positioned in a stand or other support 26 mounted above the tank at the ground level as best shown in Figure 3. This stand has an upper peripheral flange 28, upon which the similarly flanged upper end 3% of the pipe 24 is positioned for suitable support. The base 32 l the pump id is then suitably fixed to these super-imposed flanges.

The pipe enters the tank it through a suitable opening provided by the pipe Eli, and the connection between the pipe 26 and the tank it) is then properly welded as at so. A manhole 42. is provided for ingress to the tank 10, as shown in Figure l.

in the structure of this invention the lower end of the pipe is closed and sealed against the entry of liquid thereinto by a horizontal plate 5% (Figures 2 and 3). This horizontal plate is welded or otherwise attired to the tube or pipe 24, and preferably slightly removed from the end thereof, thereby allowing the pipe to rest upon the bottom of the tank it providing a better support for the pipe, the pump 314, the tube and other appurtenances.

A pair of diametrically opposed openings 52 is made in the pipe 24' just above the plate 5d, and swivel a .achtnents S t are fixed in these openings (Figures 2 and 3) for the rotatable reception of the ends of suction or intake pipes 56.

As best shown in Figure 1, these suction or intake pipes 5s extend outwardly from the pipe 24 and are adapted to move from the dotted line position shown in Figure l to approximately the full line position shown in that figure.

A float 60 in the form of a closed tank or the like is attached by chains 62 or otherwise to the outer ends of the pipes 56 (Figure 4), and this float being obviously at all times at the upper level of the liquid in the tank, will maintain the ends of the pipes 56 at points adjacent this upper level of liquid. As the liquid is withdrawn from the tank 10 by means of the pump 14 and finally reaches a lower level wh re contaminants might enter the pipes 56, they will contact a stand a i- (Figures 1 and 4) whereby further downward movement is prevented, regardless the posi tion of the float 60 or other liquid level.

Accordingly water, dirt or other foreign matter, as indicated at in Figures 3 and 4, cannot possibly be drawn out of the tank 19 through the pipes 226, and purity of the withdrawn product is accordingly assured. The ends of the pipe 56 are held together by a cross brace 72 (Figure 2). It also serves to assist in supporting the float 60.

The ends of the pipes 56 are preferably cut at a 45 angle to their longitudinal axis. This insures against the accidental entry of air into the pipes when suction is an plied, and which might sometimes occur if the ends of t :e pipes accidentally projected above the liquid level.

In earlier constructions the fact that the end of the tank pipe 22 was adjacent the bottom of the tank it) would, in many cases, result in contaminating material being drawn out of the tank through the pipe by the pump; and this, entering the fuel tanks of internal combustion or jet engine or the like, often caused serious dam-- age. Obviously, the same remarks apply in the case of liquids other than gasoline or other petroleum products.

Even where pump elements such as the impeller 20 were eliminated, there was always present a certain amount of agitation of the liquid adjacent the point of entry into the delivery pipe, and this in many cases stirred up deposited dregs, solids or contaminating liquids which would then pass through the pump and be delivered, with undesirable results.

It will be evident that herein is provided a construc tion which will always assure the delivery of pure liquid with practically no possibility of the same ever becoming diluted, contaminated, or otherwise deteriorated by the presence of foreign material which had first settled in the tank and then was accidentally drawn from adjacent the bottom by the pump action. The device is simple, readily constructed, quite inexpensive, positive in action and can be built into new equipment or used as a replacement in old equipment with no difliculty. Various methods of insertion of the hinge pipes 56 may be employed particularly in smaller tanks which are not adaptable to the inclusion of manholes.

Use of the apparatus of this invention, while not actually eliminating the necessity of a filter will reduce a great deal of wear and tear on a filter, thereby giving the same a much longer life.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction varied throughout a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent 4 granted hereon otherwise than as necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

l. A dispensing device for liquids comprising a first pipe adapted to be inserted in the liquid with its lower end adjacent the bottom of the liquid container, a closure for the lower end of the pipe, openings in the pipe adjacent its lower end, swivel connections at said openings, an additional inlet pipe in each swivel connection, means for normally maintaining the outer ends of the additional inlet pipes at points adjacent the upper level of the liquid, stop means for limiting the downward movement of the ends of the additional inlet pipes, a second pipe inside the first pipe for the passage of liquid therethrough and a pump for withdrawing the liquid through said pipe.

2. A device as described in claim 1, wherein a liquid impeller is positioned in the lower end of the second pipe, and wherein a shaft connects said impeller to a driving means.

3. A device as described in claim 2, wherein the inlet ends of the additional inlet pipes are cut at an angle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 222,140 Lindsay Dec. 2, 1879 918,834 Fairall et a1. Apr. 20, 1909 1,369,239 Gulick Feb. 21, 1921 1,890,984 Gulick Dec. 13, 1932 

